Wenger said: "I feel this year Sir Alex Ferguson, because he's in a position to fight on every front, and Steve Coppell, who is in a position where nobody expected him to be and has a team who does not play negatively - they have a positive attitude everywhere they go."

Wenger's backing for Ferguson shows how times have changed in the Premiership.

When their teams were both challenging for the title, the bosses and their players often clashed.

The ill-feeling between the teams culminated in the infamous Pizzagate incident in 2004 after United ended Arsenal's 49-match unbeaten run.